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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a line
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. current — electric
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. current — of water
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. row — to paddle
  10. face — to confront
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — happening now
  13. bark — to shout
  14. object — a thing
  15. face — part of the head
  16. object — an aim
  17. mine — for digging
  18. staff — employees
  19. mug — a face
  20. object — to protest
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. row — a quarrel

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com